76. LIMENIOTISSA,
THEOTOKOS

In the ancient / late antique / medieval coastal city of Paphos (Paphos district), an episcopal see and an important
port town in medieval times [Papacostas (1995) Gazetteer 12].

Description: The vaulted
(pier?) basilica was erected on the site of a 5th-century three-aisled timber roofed basilica incorporating its
apse. The late antique church was
destroyed by fire (narthex)
presumably during Arab raids of the mid-7th century and was replaced by a mosque
(?), an ironsmith’s workshop, an oven and dwellings. The vaulted basilica was built following the
departure from Paphos of the Arabs, whose presence on the site is suggested
by the excavated (later 7th century?) Kufic inscriptions mostly painted on
columns [BCH 92 (1968) 351, 93 (1969)
564-66; AR 1968-69, 53-54; Maier and Karageorghis (1984)
301; Megaw (1988) 140, 146-47; MKE 9, 168-70].

Dating: An 8th / 9th century may be proposed on the basis of the
architecture (vaulted basilica) and the history
of the city [Papacostas
(1995) Gazetteer 12.d.I].

Later additions / alterations: According to
Neophytos the Recluse,
the church of Limeniotissa was
destroyed by the earthquake of c.1160 [Papacostas (1999a) 6.B.II.23].
Later, a small chapel was built in the nave and survived until the
Ottoman period [MKE 9, 168-70].